


Falling (The Summer Chronicles)

by bellasbusy



Category: Skins (UK)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-03-10 13:26:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13502430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellasbusy/pseuds/bellasbusy
Summary: She falls in love with him over the summer. An alternative summer between season five and six. Mini and Alo.





	1. Part I

 

She falls in love with him over a summer. Bristol is uncharacteristically hot and humid, but at night asleep in only her underwear, his arms around her waist, she doesn’t really mind the heat. Everything is still and calm, days are lazy and she could scream with something she thinks is happiness but is probably more like hope.

  

_**Part I** _

It takes Mini McGuinness longer than necessary to grow up. She knows her relationship with Nick is kind of like a lie that’s gotten really out of hand but it still doesn’t make it any easier to deal with their breakup. She spends a long time crying and then a long time hating him. When she stops doing that she just hates herself.

On day four of the breakup Grace storms into her room, pulls open the curtains and tell her to get up and get on with it. She wants nothing more than to put her head back under the covers and pretend that this isn’t her life but Grace is the relief she desperately needs.

“Get up Mini” Grace singsongs, “you’ve been sad for long enough”. She pulls the covers over her head and groans, but it's a half hearted protest. Grace tries to yank the covers down and for a moment they both tug at the sheet until Grace gets her way. Mini frowns at the sunlight and then frowns at the face hovering over her.

"We're going out tonight Mini and I'm not taking no for answer. Nick's the worst but you can't be sad anymore. I'm just not going to allow it."

She sighs, loudly, but knows deep down that Grace has always been her fairy godmother in disguise, right when she needs it most. "Fine, whatever" she says heaving herself off the bed. She picks up a towel and stomps to the bathroom loudly, just to make a point. "But only because I'm going crazy in my room" she hollers at Grace from the hall.

She cries in the shower and feels a little better afterwards. Grace hugs her when she returns, rubs her back "it's going to be ok Mins, I know it.... there's something better out there for you".

 

The party is loud, pink and green lights flashing, the heat making her sweat. She dances with Liv and Grace. Shoves Alo with her shoulder when he tries to dance and smirks at the grin he gives her. He is so wasted. She stumbles home at four am, passes out in her bed with Liv in her arms. Mini knows that when she wakes up, that darkness (the one hanging over her, defining her mood), will be back. Probably along with a hangover. But in this moment she feels okay. She passes out with a smile on her face. _Fuck Nick Levan_ she thinks.

The next morning the hangover hurts and she snaps at Liv, she's back to feeling like shit, she thinks as she pulls the covers over her head.

 

By the time it gets to the summer holidays everything's changed and she feels like she can almost breathe again because that darkness is mostly gone. There was an almost wedding, a fleeting girl crush, new friends, old friends, fights with her mother, growing up. She even throws away her kitchen scales in a fit of rage. On the final day of school after they get drunk at the pub, they all go back to Franky's and throw their notes into a bon fire that Rider makes a big show of starting. She hugs Franky and Matty, waves them off and with that the summer has officially begun.

 

She spends two days with everyone at Rich's house. His parents are away and it rains so hard that they don’t even bother to go out. They drink and get high and when it gets dark Liv turns off the lights and tells ghost stories. Grace and Rich laugh and Alo acts like he isn't afraid but she pinches his side and smirks when he jumps. She thinks back to the start of school where these boys were just acquaintances. When they were just drifting on the edge of her radar. She is starting to feel an affection for this jumbled group that they've made and she's secretly so pleased that she can't even muster the energy to pretend to be upset about it.

 

The first few days of summer have always been lazy and this year is no exception. She sleeps till one, two in the afternoon. Takes long baths, does her nails, reads magazines, only ventures out when her mother starts to yell.

 

Alo invites them to play lawn bowls in one of the fields at the farm. "Wear something fancy as fuck" he tells her, "we're going to play sophisticated lawn bowls, lads versus the ladies".

She laughs loudly, something she always finds herself doing when he's involved. "What does that even mean Alo?"

"You know, champagne, splifs... me looking sexy in a suit" he raises his eyebrows at her and leers towards her. She pauses for a second, blushes, because she thinks maybe he is looking at her like he might be trying to flirt and she is not quite sure what to make of it.

But with her confusion comes that flash of anger, fiery Mini her mother used to call her, "you wish, more like braindead in a suit" she snaps.

He falls back into his chair "oh shut-up Mins".

 

They're going to play bowls but get distracted. Alo's mother catches them drinking brandy and smoking cigarettes and she yells at Alo because there's mud all over his brown suit. "Maybe you can throw that ugly thing out instead of getting it dry cleaned" she suggests when she finds him sulking at the pub later that evening.

"Seriously, shut-up Mins" he tells her, but he says it half-heartedly and then bumps her shoulder in apology when she takes a seat next to him. "Mum isn't too happy with me right now, I've got a million jobs to do around the farm and I've got to milk the cows tomorrow... I think they know what happened to _Bessie_ " he says, the cows name an exaggerated whisper, "they never stay still".

"I could help you... maybe... if you wanted".

His head jerks around to stare at her and she knows it's because her and farms and just being nice to Alo, have never really mixed. He stares at her, mouth agape and she backtracks, "I mean we could all come out tomorrow, the whole gang, we were all to blame for your suit".

"Ok" he nods, then more enthusiastically "yeah, yeah that would be great. Thanks Mini".

Later, when she asks everyone to help him out, Liv stares at her, eyes narrowed. Mini stares back, dares her to say anything but she is only met with silence. "Just because I don't want to listen to Alo whining for the next three fucking days if he does this on his own" she says, just in case anyone suspects anything. Like that maybe, sometimes, she doesn't mind hanging out with Alo at all.

 

Grace insists they go to the movies but when it starts everyone is so noisy and throws so much food everywhere, that they get chased out of the film fifteen minutes in. Grace is red with embarrassment as they stand on the corner, but Mini laughs and laughs before bending over to catch her breath. As she stands up she looks directly ahead of her and catches Alo staring, preoccupied, at her chest. She looks down wondering if something is amiss, before standing up straight "feel free to stare at my tits some more yeah Alo" she snaps, before stalking off. She turns around to give him the finger but he looks way too mortified and embarrassed for her to really stay angry at him. She leaves anyway, Grace trailing after her, angry at Rich. They go home, shut the curtains and watch midday tv, both ignoring the apology texts that light up their phones all afternoon.

 

"So I'm sorry" he says the moment she walks through the door.

"Whatever farm boy, you are so fucking perverted".

 

She has never really had a friend like Alo. There's Liv and Grace who have been friends with her for as long as she can remember, there's too much history with Nick, Rich who's her friend because Grace is her friend and then there's Franky. But Alo is the first new, easy friendship, she feels like she's had in ages. And he always makes her laugh.

 

One afternoon she gets ice-cream with Liv. They sit on Liv's brick fence swinging their legs and it brings her back to a time where they were children, in that same spot, no drama to get in the way of their friendship. "What's with you and Alo?" she asks and Mini narrows her eyes.

"What? Nothing... what do you mean?"

"Don't know, you two are always staring at each other... do you want to fuck him or something?" Liv says, laughing as she speaks.

Mini takes a deep breath, thinks about staying calm for a moment but then throws the ice cream onto the ground in front of her.

"What are you getting so worked up over?" Liv says, jumping up.

And she doesn't even know. Yes sometimes Alo makes her laugh more than anyone but she is not interested in him. _Not even a little bit._ She thinks it's more about the fact that she is sick of Liv's attitude, of her inability to think before she talks. Or maybe it's just the fact that Liv fucked Nick when he was still her boyfriend and those feelings are still way too raw. Or it's that sinking feeling of knowing that their friendship can never go back to what it was.

 

She takes the bus to the sea on her own just because it's something to do. It's a grey, cloudy day and the sand is more like mud, wet from the previous evening. She takes deep breaths of the salty air and it feels more cathartic than any sun could ever be.

She thinks about all the summers that have past, those long days of nothingness. Of this summer and how it has somehow started off surprisingly positive. She thinks about being young and carefree and about how she's finally ready to let go of the expectations she's always given herself.

She spends a few hours, walking up and down the shore and when she's ready to leave, sick of her own company, she feels a new sense of conviction. Feels like that weight in her chest is finally bearable.

On the train back to Bristol her phone lights up with a text from Grace _'Party tonight. Please come?'_ She grins, already planning her outfit.


	2. Part II

_**Part II** _

They're at some dingy pub with a dance floor when she see’s Nick with a new blonde, someone skinner and prettier and it sends her to a fifth, sixth and seventh shot of vodka. She's  _so over him,_ but today a loneliness, a sense of inferiority makes her feel crushingly sad. She’s drunk and miserable and when Grace passes and waves, arms around Rich, she has to try hard not to scream because  _it’s just not fair._

She needs air so she shoves past people until she is out the door, walking around the corner and leaning her head against the wall. It's been raining, the air is heavy and hot and she breathes in quickly trying to calm herself. Her hands shake as she pulls a cigarette into her mouth and she fumbles through her bag, then pockets, looking for a lighter. 

"Here, do you need help?" The voice startles her, her heading whipping up to look at red hair and a small smile. He holds the lighter out towards her, letting her light her cigarette and she inhales deeply, watching smoke drift out into the night. Another deep inhale and exhale and she is feeling calm, in control. 

"Thanks" she says, hears her voice shake a little and watches as he frowns "are you having a good night?"

He pauses for a moment, choosing his words carefully and she's glad when he doesn't ask if she's okay. "Yeah, it's okay I guess, are you?"

"Not really, no" she says. 

"Well at least next time Rich and Grace try and convince us to go to a club we'll know what they really mean" he laughs and she finally cracks a smile, the first in what seems like hours. He gestures to her cigarette, "can I? I'm out". She nods handing over the cigarette and watches him breathe in. 

There, with him standing in the darkness, that mop of red illuminated by the street light, she finally admits that she wants him. Just a little. She wants to kiss him.  Wants to admit that she feels a draw to him. She knows it's not because he is good looking or popular it's that feeling she has now, of lightness, of not feeling like the world is caving in. It's him making her laugh and laugh more than anyone else can. 

Before she thinks about it anymore she is pushing forward towards him and then touching her mouth to his. For one brief moment their lips are pressed together and she just wants him to kiss her properly and not say anything about it but instead he pulls away. 

"Wow, wow what are you doing?" his face looks confused, the cigarette has fallen to the ground and it makes her smirk. 

"Just don't tell anyone about this okay?" 

He pauses unsure what to say, a look she can't quite place coming over his features "is this a trick?".

They stare at each other for one pause, faces so close together she could reach out and lick his lips. She feels reckless, spurred on by that sadness that has been following her all night "it's not, Farm Boy... just kiss me already".

He pauses and she can tell he is mulling over her words before he nods slightly. She thinks he has probably felt it too, that pull, and then her mouth is on his and he is kissing her back, hot against her. His tongue makes it's way into her mouth, one hand moving up to hold her cheek. The kiss is heavy, like maybe this is something that was coming for a lot longer then she realised. She feels dizzy, hot all over and completely out of control, in a way she doesn't really mind. Her mind is groggy and she doesn't really think about her next words, but she's pulling away and speaking them anyway "my mums having friends over tonight, could we go back to yours?" 

He nods, pulls away from her and takes a step back. She thinks he looks a little nervous so she pulls his hand up to her mouth and kisses his knuckle. "It's okay Alo... I won't bite".

"Okay" he says, his voice husky in a way that makes her sure she wants this "okay yeah, let's go". 

They a taxi back to the farm just as it begins to rain. He holds out a flask and they have secret sips of whisky in the back seat. She sticks her tongue out dramatically every time she takes sips of the bitter liquid and it makes him laugh. She shoves him for good measure but then he kisses her again briefly, mindful of the taxi driver eyeing them suspiciously from the front. 

 

His room is messy and she scrunches her nose up at the dirty clothes he has piled up around the room. "Fucking hell Alo, do you ever clean?"

He shrugs sheepishly, "Ma's been on my back about it for a while, I wasn't really expecting any company". 

She walks over to his desk, trails her hands across his school books and papers before she sits down on the edge of the desk. "Come here" she says gestures him over. She takes a deep breath as he walks over to her. He nudges her knees apart with his own and steps between her legs to bring his face close to hers, his hands gripping her hips. 

“Just to be clear I don't like you” she tells him, draws him closer “this doesn’t change anything” 

“Good” he tells her, his breath hot against her neck. His hand is on her breast, his other moving from her hip to spread across the small of her back and when he pushes their bodies closer she feels a hardness against her that makes her face flush.  

She touches him through his jeans and smiles at the way his eyes grow wide in surprise and then she's rushing to unbuckle his pants, pull down his underwear and take him into her hand. 

"Wow" she says, her eyebrows arching in surprise. She move her hands up over his shoulders in surprise, "oh my god Alo, what the fuck?" 

He gives her a pleased grin, shrugging. He stills his movements, looking straight at her. "I still haven't done this you know" he says. He looks a little nervous, a little terrified, and she's drunk and just  _fuck it._   

"First time for everything Farm Boy" she smirks, pulling him closer to her, pushing her tongue in his mouth and starting the trek to the bed. 

 

 

It's over really quickly. That ache, that need, in between her legs is still there and Alo's face is red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry" he says, "I tried to keep it together". He groans then, mortified, rolling off her, landing on his side to face her.  

"Shut up Alo, it's fine. It was your first time. Just don't fucking tell anyone about this okay?". She stares up at the ceiling, counts three cracks and wishes she didn't feel so numb.   

He narrows his eyes at her, frowns. "Okay" he says, pauses, "yeah, okay, don't worry about it... you know I won't".  

It's starting to get light outside and her eyelids feel heavy. "You'll drive me home tomorrow  morning yeah?" she asks, rolling onto her side to face him.  

He nods, "of course Mins". 

Sleep feels inevitable and next to her Alo blinks slowly, she can tell he's fighting off exhaustion. "This doesn't mean were friends" she mumbles. 

Alo pulls her hand into his own and squeezes her fingers but he doesn't say anything. She rolls her eyes at the silence but she's too drunk and too tired and nowhere near fucked enough to say anything else. The room tilts a little and she breathes in deeply to steady everything. Before sleep overcomes her she thinks about Alo's fingers running over her own, about how it is too hot in the bed, about how it feels okay to sleep next to someone.  

The next morning she wakes with his arm around her waist and a hardness pressed into her back. She can feel him starting to wake next to her but she keeps her eyes shut, not ready to face him and what they did. He pushes into her, sighing loudly and she resists the urge to shove an elbow into his side. 

His hand skims her cheek, brushing away her hair before he plants a small kiss on her jaw. She opens her eyes then, makes a sound like she has just woken up and then rolls over, ready to face the inevitable. "Morning" he says before rolling onto his back and stretching his arms out above his head. She looks at his arms as they tense, the morning light far too bright.

"Morning" she says back. They both lay in silence for a moment, until he groans bringing his hands up to massage his forehead.

"I'm hungover as fuck, or maybe still drunk" he says "is it okay if we hang out here for a bit before I drive you home?"  He turns back onto his side to look at her and she nods. They stare at each other for what feels like a very long time. She watches his eyes dart over her face and she takes in every small detail of him that she can, commits it all to memory. The grey, blue of his eyes, the pink tinge of his cheeks and the sunlight shining onto a patch of his red hair. Her eyes drift down to the pale of his chest, the smooth skin, the small hairs trailing down his stomach, before her eyes dart back up to his face. He's staring at her chest and she suddenly feels very aware of her nakedness, of every flaw on display. She pulls the sheet up a little, to cover her breasts and he looks back up at her.

Soon he begins to blink slowly and then his eyes start to drift. Another moment and he is asleep. She watches him for a few moments, resisting the urge to hold out her hand and brush back his hair. She feels on the verge of panic and perfectly content at the same time, her head a mess of hungover confusion. Soon though, the heat and laziness of the morning, the overwhelming state of her feelings, is all too much and she falls back to sleep. 

Later he brings her marmite toast and juice and calls it the perfect hangover cure _._ They watch cartoons in his bed and he only drives her home when her mum phones to yell.  On the drive they sit in comfortable silence but when he parks outside the house and turns to her, he seems unsure. An awkward feeling descends on her and she knows he is going to want to talk about what happened.

"So..." he starts but she cuts him off before he finish. 

"Let's not talk about it alright?"

"Right"

She gets out of the car, slams the door and runs up to the house not looking back. After she's showered, in the safety of her own bed, she pulls the blanket up over her head and thinks about his hands on her face, the way he shook and closed his eyes when he thrust into her. 

 

The second time with Alo is what every time with Nick should have been like. His hand slips between her parted legs to touch  _that_ spot and it makes her push hard up against him and drive him deeper into her. She meets him thrust for thrust and she can’t help but take in all the noises that Alo is making against her ear.  His low groans make her feel hot all over and when his hand cups her breast her stomach gives an unwelcome jolt.  

His pace builds up inside her, his fingers matching his movement and she panics when she realises she’s getting close to coming (and no boy has ever made her do that). Her head hits the pillow, her eyes tight shut and  _no_ _no_ _no_  she can’t do this. 

One more moment and then she is seeing stars, her body arching into his, heaving for air and off in a world she thought she could only get to with her own hand. When she comes back to earth and opens her eyes, he is hovering over her, eyes wide and a little awe struck, "did you just...." he trails off.

She nods a little, still struggling for breath "yeah... have you?"

He smiles, a big wide grin, clearly pleased with himself "yes... I've never seen you lose control like that. "

She shrugs, but can't help giving into the post orgasm haze that is slipping between them, so she flashes him a grin back. He bends, placing his mouth onto her neck and breathes heavily before moving out and rolling off her. 

 

 

The third time with Alo is in the hallway at Liv's house while the others are out picking up pot. He corners her in the hallway, bringing her mouth to his and she figures they have around ten minutes before the others are back. She feels anxious, like Liv and the others will be opening the door at any moment, but she can't deny the thrum of excitement coursing through her. 

"I don't know if we should do this right now farm boy" she says in between kisses "they'll be back soon". 

"So... don't you like it? Don’t you want me to..." He trails off, pauses and then grins so widely she feels suspicious.

"What?"

He tugs at a strand of her hair, curling it between his fingers, that shit eating grin still plastered across his face "you know... bang your brains out."

She's shocked at his words and just a little bit angry so she pushes his hand away, "Jesus Alo, crass". Then she stomps on his foot hard, just for good measure. 

He jerks away, pulling his foot up and hops around for a moment "ouch fuck, Mini, what the fuck".

She shrugs and smirks but before she can feel too satisfied he is on his knees in front of her, pulling up her skirt. He looks up at her, that smile back on his face and she can't think properly as he pushes her undies down and fixes his mouth to her. 

After he's made her come she spends a moment straightening her skirt and watches as he stands, a hardness obvious through his jeans. She smiles, goes to touch him, but then the sound of keys in the door stops her in her tracks. They both freeze for a moment before he looks down at his crotch in a panic that sends him scrambling into the nearby bathroom, slamming the door behind him. She has one moment to smooth down her skirt and rush to the couch where she collapses down, face to the television. 

She doesn't look at the others come into the lounge room, trying to calm her beating heart. She feels shaky from the orgasm and that fear of nearly been caught and she tries to keep her face as neutral as possible.

"Where's Alo?" Grace asks. 

She shrugs, waves her hand nonchalantly "bathroom I think".

The others mill around, chatting, while Nick and Rich start to roll a spliff. She keeps her face towards the television and only looks up when Alo returns, high fiving the boys, his face just a little flushed. She catches his eyes for a second but he looks away quickly. For one brief moment she wonders if it really matters if everyone finds out that she's fucked him all of twice, but the thought is fleeting. She doesn't even like him, at least not more than a sort of friend, and the thought of dealing with everyone's opinions and judgment makes her feel sick to her stomach. She can admit, just a little, that there's that fear too, of Alo losing interest or finding someone better, just like Nick did. 

She shakes her head and finally stands, ignoring Alo's general direction completely. She thinks she should probably never let anything happen between them again. Just to be on the safe side. 

 

She avoids Alo for two days, ignores texts and group hangouts for the security of her room.

It's Tuesday when she gets a letter in the mail from Franky.  _I know things aren't always great for you Mini. I just hope you're living your life. I_ _always treat summer like a break from reality._ _You should try it, make this summer_ _what life is all about_ _._ _Matty_ _buys figs from the market every morning and h_ _e always picks the ones that are too ripe... sometimes I think I hate him..._  

She stops mid sentence, re-reads the first four lines over and over.  

Her heart hammers widely in her chest, her palms sweat and she knows (with everything she's got) that she wants a good summer. That he makes her laugh and smile and looks at her with a little bit of awe and that makes her feel good. She grabs her phone typing quickly, before she can second guess herself.  _Want to come over? We can watch movies_ _or whatever_ _._ Her thumb hovers over the send button for a moment and then, fuck it, she does it. So what about the decision, to not see him that she so firmly thought she'd made. 

The phone is silent for five minutes and she is more nervous then she'd ever admit, her stomach fluttering with anticipation. But when she hears her phone, rushes over to it she can't help but grin at the message.  _;) 7pm._  

Mini breathes a sigh of relief because _good_ , she didn't want to spend the night feeling sorry for herself.

 

He makes her come twice. Afterwards, he sits her up and takes her cheeks between his hands playfully kissing her all over her face. It makes her laugh, giggle in a distinctly non-Mini like way. A wave of affection washes over her, so strongly, so surprisingly, that she nudges him away worried she is starting to like her a little too much. 

The next morning she wakes up with a heavy hand around her waist. They are cramped together in her too small single bed. It's warm and too bright but she feels a sense of lightness she isn't used to. Everything with Alo feels so far from the night she lost her virginity, from that coldness and distance between her and Nick and it makes her want to hold onto this moment for as long as she can. 


	3. Part III

**_Park III_   **

They get drunk at his farm a lot. He likes to take her to the back paddocks where the ground is soft and as the sun sets they drink cheap wine together. He tells her made up stories about a red haired superhero who saves the world and it makes her laugh into his shoulder.   

One night he brings a bottle of vodka and makes her play never have I ever. At one in the morning as she throws up into a bush and he holds back her hair she tells him she hates him.   

He laughs and the sound makes her heart skip a beat. “No you don’t Minerva” he says, “not even a little bit”. Her stomach twists at his words .  

  

 

She becomes a regular visitor at the farm. She feels ridiculous visiting him, traipsing up the road to the house in her high heels but Alo usually wolf whistles when he sees her, grins widely and she doesn't really mind that her scowl is half-hearted.  

“You’re too pretty for him though, love”. 

She smiles a little, unsure and embarrassed and shakes her head. Because she isn't too pretty for him, she isn't too anything for him. He is the loveliest person she knows and she can feel it with a conviction that comes from her chest. It blindsides her, just a little, makes her feel like she is falling and falling.  

  

 

She’s staring at herself in the mirror in his bathroom hand around her waist, measuring her size in hand spans when he comes up behind her.  It feels like an important moment as he pulls her hands away from her waist and lifts her hair from her neck.   

“Why do you look at yourself like that” he says staring at her through the mirror. She looks back at him, wide eyed, her heart speeding up just that little bit. He presses his lips to her neck, his mouth hot against her.  

Her voice rasps when she talks, “like what?”  

“Like you’re not perfect”. 

"I'm not" she says, her hands folding over his.  

He smiles at her widely "you are". It feels like such a tender moment, something so out of the ordinary from what she's used to, that she doesn't know what to say back. She turns, brings her mouth to his and hopes he gets it without words.  

  

 

They’re at a pub with the group, sitting next to each other and pretending he didn’t spend the night before with his hands down her pants. His thigh is touching hers though, and every now and then his hand skims her knee. The fifth time he does it she grabs his hand and digs her nails into his flesh.  

He jumps, “fuck” he yells loudly. The table goes silent and everyone turns to look at him she has to try hard to keep a straight face.  

He has a scowl across his features.  

Hours later he tries to be annoyed at her, all standoffish and moody, but she kneels in front of him and opens her mouth wide, smirking as he groans.   

 

 

“Mins... do you want to go to dinner?”  

“What you and me?” 

“Well yeah.” 

“Like a date?” 

“No... not a date... just, you know, us... hanging out like we normally do, or whatever.” 

“Alo...” 

“Alright, kind of like a date... I just thought... I want to... I want do that with you.” 

“Okay... okay we can go out for dinner, but it’s not a bloody date Alo.” 

 

 

They're at a club, an actual club, this time. The night had started off with two lines and three shots each and now she feels like she is floating. Liv hands her a pill, smirking up at her and for once she feels like being reckless. Alo's eyes track her as she swallows and she watches him follow suit.  

Later, when it all goes to her head, her eyes shaking and the lights flickering, she finds herself dancing next to him. "Let's fuck" she tells him grinning as they jump up and down to the music.  

"What" he says, confused, slowing his movement. 

She shrugs, lets out a laugh, "right now... let's go to the bathroom and fuck".  

He hesitates for a moment, but then there's that look of want that she's come to know so well. He stares at her in a way that makes her feel breathless but he doesn't take her hand, so she reaches out to grasp his arm, tugging him away from the dance floor.  

Later they lie on the floor of her bedroom, sprawled out, her head resting against his shoulder. The drugs keep her wide awake, long after Alo falls asleep. She watches his chest rise and fall, her hand pressed down to feel the heavy beat of his heart. She files this moment away, amongst all the others from the summer, saves it for a dark day when she knows she’ll need it most.  

 


End file.
